Safety handle for pilings

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a portable safety handle that temporarily attaches to wood pilings for use in the entering or exiting of docked boats. The safety handle is preferably constructed from plastic having a front surface for engaging a wood piling and back surface that is sized to prevent a persons hand from touching the wood directly and includes a handgrip for support of the person during boat entry and exit. The safety handle is temporarily secured to a wood piling by a pair of straps adapted to extend around a piling.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of boating and inparticular to a safety handle for use by individuals during the entryand exiting of a boat.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A majority of preventable boating injuries occur when an individualattempts to either enter or exit a boat. Due to tides, style of boats,operator positioning, and so forth, the entry and exiting of a boat isknown to be a major source of injury. An individual who steps from afixed dock is often surprised by boat movement. Boat movement may becaused from something a complicated a wave that bounces from a seawall,or as simple as the weight of an individual that is entering or exitingthe boat. Unfortunately, any movement of a boat can result in injuryshould the individual be unprepared. Typically an individual employs thegunwale of a boat as the first step for entry and exit. The gunwale isthe upper edge of a boat's side whose width is dependant upon the boatsize. In any event, the gunwale surface is located above the boat deckand must be traversed during entry and exit. Knowledgeable boatersunderstand the liability they face should one of their passengers beinjured on the boat so every attempt is made to stabilize the boat whilepassengers unfamiliar to the boat are boarding. Even if a passenger isvery familiar with a boat, such as the boat owner or family member ofthe owner, carelessness can quickly ruin an otherwise most pleasurableboating experience.

Boating courses, such as that offered by the United States PowerSquadrons, are used to teach the operator of a boat the proper dockingtechniques. In particular, the operator of a vessel is taught toposition the entry location for the boat as close as possible to apiling wherein an individual can use the piling to grasp while boarding.Proper positioning of the boat to a piling will also will provide thepassenger with a visual reference of a fixed object during theentry/exit procedure. Unfortunately, wood pilings are often a source ofinjury in and of themselves.

Wood pilings are designed for solely for support of a dock and willremain in place for as many years as possible. Eventually the weathercauses the wood to fall into such disrepair that the piling must bereplaced. Pilings are subjected to sun, rain, freezing, wood worms,barnacles, and other wood like destroying items. So as to obtain as longa life as possible, pilings are typically pressure treated.

Pressure-treated pilings are those pilings which have been commerciallytreated with a chemical wood preservative under pressure to assurepenetration of the chemical into the wood. Chemical preservatives usedby the industry to pressure treat wood vary in effectiveness and also inanimal, human and environmental toxicity. Some preservatives areclassified as “restricted-use pesticides” which only certified personsmay purchase and/or use. The treated wood is not a restricted-useproduct, but precautions for handling and disposal are necessary.

Water repellent products, with or without a fungicide, may also be usedto coat a piling since these products are not restricted by theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA). These chemicals may be brushed,dipped or sprayed on wood to protect the surface but are short-lived. InFlorida, a warm moist climate and wet soils provide very favorableconditions for biological organisms to decompose wood. When leftuntreated, wood exposed to moisture (rain, condensation, high humidity,soil moisture, and sea water) in a warm environment is readily attackedand rapidly degraded by naturally occurring organisms. These organisms(fungi, bacteria, termites, carpenter ants and several beetles andborers) are ubiquitous and abundant in our soils and waterways.

When the piling is new, this oil based product can leave an oilyresidual on those who touch the piling, or should an individual pick-upa wood sliver, the wood treatment may lead to infection. Once the outercoating begins to dry out, typically after years of weather exposure,the dryness of the wood lends itself to more wood slivers wherein mostpeople will only touch a piling if they absolutely must. This istypically when they are falling with the resulting hand injuries fromthe wood to be expected.

Attempts to address this problem have included the securement of handlesto pilings but due to nearly infinite variety of boat placements due tothe numerous boat designs, tidal changes and operator placement, fixedhandles may provide assistance to only a few boaters. In addition, mostmarinas forbid anyone from attaching handles, satellite dishes, or anyother item to a piling by use of nails and screws. Removal of itemsscrewed into the wood results in exposure f the inner wood to theelements which results in a quicker drying of the wood, and of course ahigher probably of an individual obtaining wood slivers.

Thus, what is needed in the art is a portable handgrip that prevents anindividual from touching the wood of a piling while being strategicallypositioned to ensure that an individual will support themselves duringthe entry and exiting of a boat.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention satisfies this need through provision of ahandgrip that temporarily attaches to a wood piling. The handgrip ispreferably constructed of a flexible plastic base member having a frontsurface with a series of wood engaging members. The base member issecured to a wood piling by a pair of straps secured to the base memberand extend around the piling for positioning the base member in a fixedposition. The wood engaging members help prevent the base member fromsliding down the piling. On the back surface of the base member is ahand grip for use by the passengers for entry and exit to the boat. Thehandgrip may be formed integral to the base member or coupled thereto.The handgrip may also include a reflective material that allows thehandgrip to glow at night or employ a chemical nightstick for nightlumination.

An objective of the invention is to provide a handgrip that can bestrategically positioned to provide safe entry or exiting of a boat.

Still another objective of the invention is to provide a handgrip thatcan be secured to a piling without damaging the wood.

Yet another objective of the invention is to provide a handgrip that iseasy to install and remove.

Still another objective of the invention is to teach the use of ahandgrip for entry and exiting of a boat.

Still another objective of the invention is to teach the use of aportable handgrip that include a means for illumination.

Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration andexample, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitutea part of this specification and include exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a pictorial view of a boat tied to a dock with the safetyhandle of the instant invention attached to a piling;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the safety handle with adjustablestraps;

FIG. 3 is a back view of FIG. 2 depicting the wood engaging members; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the safety handle with quick releasesnap.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Although the invention will be described in terms of specificembodiments, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in this artthat various modifications, rearrangements and substitutions can be madewithout departing from the spirit of the invention. The scope of theinvention is defined by the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the Figures, set forth is safety handle 10 for use andattachment to a piling 100. The safety handle consists of a base member12 constructed of a flexible sheet of material such as plastic, alaminate, or grooved wood. The sheet of material has a front surface 14,a back surface 16, a top edge 18, a bottom edge 20, a first edge 22, anda second edge 24. A hand grip 26 secured to the back surface 16 may beintegrally formed with the base member or alternatively fastened to thebase member by conventional fasteners. By attaching of the hand grip tothe base member by conventional fasteners would allow the use of a teakhand grip to be secured to a plastic base member. Similarly, anarticulating wood base member could have a plastic hand grip. In thebasic embodiment a pair of straps 28 and 30 is connected to the firstside edge 22 and are adapted to extend around a piling wherein eachstrap is of sufficient length so as to provide engagement with thesecond edge 24 of the base member. In a basic embodiment slot like holes32 and 34 allow the distal end 36 of the strap 28 to be pulled throughthe slot like apertures 32 and 34. Similarly, the distal end 38 of strap30 is drawn through slot apertures 40 and 42 thereby securely holdingthe base member and hand grip against a piling.

As shown in FIG. 1 a boat 102 is shown placed along a dock 104 withpilings 100, 106, 108 and 110. When a boat is docked there would be astern line 112 extending from the piling 106 to the transom 114 of theboat 102 to prevent the boat from moving forward. Similarly, a line 116would attach from piling 110 to the bow 118 of the boat 102 to preventthe boat from moving backwards. In this example, the safety handle 10 issecured to the piling 100 with straps 28 and 30 which wrap around thepiling and once secured thereto hand grip 26 is available for passengersof the boat to enter and exit without physically touching the wood. Aspreviously mentioned new wood pilings would maintain a residual of achemical used to prevent early wood rotting from weather, parasites andso forth. Older pilings that are weathered are no less dangerous as theywould be filled with splitters. Thus, the back surface 16 prevents anindividuals hands from contacting the piling and the hand grip 26provides the passengers and owner of the vessel a safe means of graspingthe piling without fear of damage to the persons hands.

Referring now to FIG. 3 shown is the front surface 14 of the base memberwith top edge 18, bottom edge 20, side edge 22, and second side edge 24.Straps 28 and 30 are shown in an untied position available for insertionthrough apertures 34, 36 and 40, 42 respectively. The front surface 14of the base member includes wood engaging tabs 50 which may consist oflarge protrusions such as spikes for minute insertion into the woodpiling, or small protrusions that provide surface friction similar tosandpaper. The preferred embodiment is to provide a texture that willnot physical mar the piling yet provides a frictional engagement toinhibit movement of the base member once attached.

Referring now to FIG. 4 the safety handle may include a hand grip 60having photoluminescent paint which is capable of retaining light energyduring the day and illuminating the handgrip position in darkness.Alternatively, a chamber 62 may be provided wherein a chemiluminescentchemical light stick 64 may be placed within the hand grip 60. In thisembodiment, the hand grip in this embodiment is made out of a clear ortranslucent plastic wherein the light stick illumination shines throughthe hand grip. Further, only the inner edge of the handgrip may allowlight stick illumination wherein the base member is illuminated as ifbacklit. The use of chemiluminescent chemical is well known in the artas illustrated by U.S. Pat. No. 3,576,987; colored light sticks may alsobe used to provide an ambience to the handle such as those found in U.S.Pat. Nos. 3,816,326; 3,781,329; and 3,704,309.

The straps may include a quick release fastener 66 which consists of amale insert 68 and female counterpart 70 with release tabs 72 that wouldallow the installer to quickly attach or release the strap 28 around apiling. The adjustability of the strap remains wherein the proximal end36 can be drawn through the quick release fastener depending on thepiling size. Typical pilings for docks range from 7 inches at a minimumto upwards of 20 inch as a maximum. This strap would preferably be madefrom nylon or the like resilient material that maintains flexibilitydespite frequent changing of sizes to accommodate different sizepilings. This would allow the boat owner to quickly release or attachthe hand grip to any piling whether it would be for a short visit at arestaurant or an extended visit such as a live a board. While the use ofa screw or nail fastener would be contemplated by this invention, mustmarinas are cognizance of the damage that a screw or nail will cause toa piling. For this reason, it is a preferred that attachment to thepiling is by the use of straps.

As previously stated, the base member may be plastic or a wood base canbe employed. The use of plastic provides longevity and is inexpensive tomanufacture. However, the use of a wood, such as a teak, with tongue andgroove type slats is well known in the art and would allow for therequired ability of the base member to wrap around a piling of differentsizes. A wood member would be more expensive to manufacture and maintainbut provides an elegant hand grip that would befit expensive motoryachts.

In operation, the front surface of a flexible base member isstrategically positioned along a length of a piling, the base memberhaving a handgrip mounted or formed to a back surface of the basemember.

A proximal end of an attachment strap is coupled to a first side edge ofthe base member having a length sufficient to encircle a piling whereina distal end of the strap is fastened to a second side edge of the basemember.

The strap is pulled taut to securely position the base member againstsaid piling and the handgrip is then available for use in entry andexiting of a boat.

It is to be understood that while I have illustrated and described acertain form of my invention, it is not to be limited to the specificforms or arrangement of parts herein described and shown. It will beapparent to those skilled in the art that various changes may be madewithout departing from the scope of the invention and the invention isnot to be considered limited to what is shown in the drawings anddescribed in the specification.

1. A safety handle for attachment to a piling, said safety handlecomprising: a base member constructed of a flexible sheet of material,said base member further defined as having a front surface and a backsurface bounded by a top edge and a bottom edge with a first and secondside edge; a handgrip secured to said back surface, said handgripincluding a photoluminescent material for storing light energy wherebysaid handgrip will glow in darkness; a pair of straps connected to saidbase member, each strap is adapted to extend around a piling; wherebysaid base member is secured to a piling by use of said straps whereinsaid handgrip is available for use in entry and exiting of a boat. 2.The safety handle according to claim 1 including wood engaging memberspositioned along said front surface of said base member.
 3. The safetyhandle according to claim 1 wherein said base member and said hand gripare plastic.
 4. The safety handle according to claim 1 wherein said basemember and said hand grip are wood.
 5. The safety handle according toclaim 1 wherein said base member and said handgrip are integrallyformed.
 6. The safety handle according to claim 1 wherein a proximal endof each said strap is attached to said first edge of said base memberwith a distal end of each said strap is available for insertion througha through a slot-like opening located on said second edge after saidstrap is encircled around a piling.
 7. The safety handle according toclaim 1 wherein said strap is of a length sufficient to encircle apiling between 6 inches and 20 inches.
 8. (canceled)
 9. (canceled) 10.The safety handle according to claim 1 wherein a proximal end of eachsaid strap is attached to said first edge of said base member with adistal end of each said strap is available for coupling to a quickrelease fastener coupled to said second edge after said strap isencircled around a piling.
 11. (canceled)
 12. A safety handle forattachment to a piling, said safety handle comprising: a base memberconstructed of a flexible sheet of material, said base member furtherdefined as having a front surface and a back surface bounded by a topedge and a bottom edge with a first and second side edge; a handgripsecured to said back surface, said handgrip including a receptacle sizedto receive a chemiluminescent light stick whereby said handgrip willglow in darkness; a pair of straps connected to said base member, eachstrap is adapted to extend around a piling; whereby said base member issecured to a piling by use of said straps wherein said handgrip isavailable for use in entry and exiting of a boat.
 13. The safety handleaccording to claim 12 including wood engaging members positioned alongsaid front surface of said base member.
 14. The safety handle accordingto claim 12 wherein said base member and said hand grip are plastic. 15.The safety handle according to claim 12 wherein said base member andsaid hand grip are wood.
 16. The safety handle according to claim 12wherein said base member and said handgrip are integrally formed. 17.The safety handle according to claim 12 wherein a proximal end of eachsaid strap is attached to said first edge of said base member with adistal end of each said strap is available for insertion through athrough a slot-like opening located on said second edge after said strapis encircled around a piling.
 18. The safety handle according to claim12 wherein said strap is of a length sufficient to encircle a pilingbetween 6 inches and 20 inches.
 19. The safety handle according to claim12 wherein a proximal end of each said strap is attached to said firstedge of said base member with a distal end of each said strap isavailable for coupling to a quick release fastener coupled to saidsecond edge after said strap is encircled around a piling.